We are just a little over 24 hours from the release of Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department her highly anticipated 11th studio album. And while I’m always excited for new Taylor Swift music I’m even more excited for this one (if that’s possible). I have a feeling it’s going to contain some of the best Taylor Swift songs ever.

I am a big big fan of breakup albums and Taylor Swift’s sad songs (as you’ll see below). So the album in that presumably delves into the ending of her 6-year relationship with Joe Alwyn?

I couldn’t be more ready to deep dive into this. She wrote some of her best love songs about him so I can only imagine that these breakup tracks will be the same caliber.

RELATED: 19 Taylor Swift Songs You May Not Know Since They Aren’t On Her Albums

So I certainly anticipate that some of these new tracks will be on my best Taylor Swift songs list. I know off the top of my head what my two favorite songs of hers are.

And I can promise you nothing will ever change that. There have been some new songs that I truly adore and are among my favorites.

But when an artist has such a vast discography as Taylor Swift, how do you even go about ranking your favorite songs? It would be impossible to not forget something you love. And I’ve been a die-hard fan since the very early days.

But luckily I found a way to mathematically determine it. And not by your listening trends but by your own preferences. The tool only considers album tracks for a total of 210 songs.

So here are what I consider my personal favorites and the 13 best Taylor Swift songs ahead of the Tortured Poets Department.

Want to find out your own rankings? Here’s the tool I used!

The 13 Best Taylor Swift Songs Pre Tortured Poets Department

• 13. Long Live

  Long Live was originally released on Speak Now in 2010. The closing track of the regular version of the album it’s an ode to the fans and her band at the time. Over the years as her career has spanned new eras and generations, it’s become more and more special. I’ve truly had the time of my life with Taylor so this song will always have a special place in my heart. It’s fitting it came in at number 13.

• 12. Last Kiss

  I have to say when I first listened to Speak Now I didn’t get this song. It was slow and the pacing just didn’t resonate with me. Perhaps I didn’t relate to it at that point either. It wasn’t until the tour and the live version of this song that I fell in love with the vulnerability of it. It’s stood the test of time though.

• 11. Better Man

  I’ve loved “Better Man” since the day I heard Little Big Town’s version. I would listen to a couple of live Taylor versions of the song and used to say how much I wanted to hear Taylor’s demo. So imagine my thrill when it was added to Red Taylor’s Version. The lyrics that always give me chills?

  I hold onto this pride because, these days, it’s all I have
  And I gave to you my best, and we both know you can’t say that

• 10. This Is Me Trying

  Folklore is easily a top 3 album for me and there are several tracks on this list from the first pandemic album. “This Is Me Trying” is a track that anyone who struggles or has struggled can relate to. There have been many times that this song has said what I didn’t know how to feel. If you don’t appreciate it watch Taylor explaining the track on the Long Pond Studio Sessions and I bet you’ll get it.

• 9. The Last Great American Dynasty

  I love Taylor’s story songs that were inspired by characters. This one is no exception. I adore “The Last Great American Dynasty” which is about Rebeckah Harkness who owned Holiday House Taylor’s Rhode Island home before she did. Not only does it do a wonderful job illustrating the story of Harkness but comes full circle ending with Taylor buying the house and relating to the character. And it gave us the line “I had a marvelous time ruining everything”.

• 8. New Years Day

  Perhaps it’s because my birthday is New Year’s Day, or it’s the lone ballad on Reputation but this has always been the highlight of the album to me. It’s such a wonderful love song, showcasing the simple things in a relationship that are the backbone. It’s not the party, it’s who is with you after the confetti is cleaned up. I even captioned both my Reputation Tour social media posts with lyrics from this closing track.

• 7. Fifteen

  “Fifteen” is such a special song to a lot of people, the look back at a pivotal time in so many people’s lives. Almost everyone can relate to this song in some way. The lyrics “I’ve found time can heal most anything and you just might find who you’re supposed to be” are some of my favorite of all time. It helped me through a very trying period of my life. And “Fifteen” of course introduced the world to Abigail Anderson.

• 6. Fearless

  Fearless is hands down my favorite Taylor album and always will be. I can’t imagine another scenario where any other album would mean as much to me. And the title track will always make me smile. It’s my favorite part of the Eras Tour. Seriously tell me you can listen to this song and not smile. It’s my therapy.

• 5. My Tears Ricochet

  “My Tears Ricochet” quickly shot to the top of my rankings after Folklore‘s release. If you’ve ever been betrayed by someone you trusted you can relate to this track about her former record label. “I didn’t have it in myself to go with grace”.

• 4. You're On You're Own Kid

  Track 5 from Midnights is one of the best track 5’s of all time. If you know Taylor at all you know the significance of that. The bridge of this song is one of her best. And it inspired the Eras Tour friendship bracelet trend. Perhaps I love it so much as I feel like I’m currently in the place in my life that Taylor wrote this from.

• 3. You're Losing Me

  This is as close to breaking through as any song will get. And if it’s anything like The Tortured Poets Department then I will never be ready for it. This song will rip your heart out talking about the fallout with Joe Alwyn. It’s full of great lines but the bridge “I wouldn’t marry me either, a pathological people pleaser, who only wanted you to see her” gets me every time. I didn’t know how to feel this but I feel like I wrote it.

• 1. All Too Well/All Too Well 10 Minute Version (TIE)

  This was initially the original “All Too Well” but when we got the 10-minute version it was switched in my permanent rankings. It’s the undisputable best song she’s ever written chronicling the end of her relationship with Jake Gyllenhall. From lyrics like “you call me up again just to break me like a promise so casually cruel in the name of being honest” and “From when your Brooklyn broke my skin and bones, I’m a soldier who’s returning half her weight, And did the twin flame bruise paint you blue?, Just between us, did the love affair maim you too?” the entire song is a work of art. I can’t choose a favorite between this and the next song on this list. 

• 1. Tim McGraw

  While it wasn’t the first song I heard that was “Teardrops On My Guitar” “Tim McGraw” will always be untouchable for me. This song is the perfect country Taylor song. The version of Taylor that I became a fan of and fell in love with. It’s the perfect look back at a relationship that just ended, not badly but just over time. The nostalgia is flowing and 16-year-old Taylor captured it perfectly. The last two times I heard this song live I sobbed and I hope I can experience that at least one more time. When you think “Tim McGraw” I hope you think my favorite song. Truly.

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